Process for the production of beryllium alloys, in particular those with a high beryllium content by means of fused liquid electrolysis



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humanl 14,'1931- UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca EELL'EUT FISCHER, OF IBEBIIN-SIEMENSSTADT, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE LS- SIGNIENTS, 1'1'0 METAL & THEBMIT CORPORATION, 01 NEW YORK, N. Y., A' COB- POBATION OF NEW JERSEY P3001388 FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BEBYLLIUM ALLOYS, IN PAB'IICU THOSE 'W'ITE I A. HIGH BEBYLLIUI CONTENT BY MEANS OF FUSE!) LIQUID ELECTBQLYSIS Io Drawing. Application flied May 22, 1929, Serial No. 865,240, and in Germany November 18,1988.

The roduction of beryllium alloys having a high ryllium content presents in practice considerable difliculties. The melting together of the beryllium with the alloy metals is inadvisable for the reason. that thelaeryllium easily burns away, and furthermore with such a process almost all the materials commonl used for the crucibles are too strongly attac ed; Such a process would also take much time as beryllium in a pure state dissolves but exceedingly slowly in other molten metals.

It has already been sought to produce beryllium alloys by means of fused liquid electrolysis. In this process the metals to be alloyed with. beryllium have mostly been used in the molten state-as cathodes. The result has generally been very non-homogenous alloys, as the diffusion of the beryllium in the other molten metals is not sufiicient to penetrate the outer layerswhich are saturated with beryllium and which can take up no more beryllium. It has, furthermore, already been proposed to produce beryllium alloys by adding to a fused mass suitable for the electrolytic separation of beryllium, a salt of the other metals to be alloyed. This process is, however, technically diflicult to carry out for the reason that the most suitable salts for the process a-re generally hard to obtain.

These disadvantages of known processes are obviated by the present invention, according to which the metal to be alloyed with the beryllium is introduced by anodic solution.

into the fused mass." During this procedure, the temperature of the fused mass is ke t below the melting point of the metal to 'e al- It is particularly important in making such alloy with beryllium, to use metals which have a greater specific gravity than the fused Y mass being used and which is referably and of one or more alkali earth metals.

formed by a mixture of fluorides o berylliun;

one of the lighter metals is to be alloyed with the beryllium, the specific gravity of the melt may be red need by the addition of alkali metalhalides to the fused mass.

The new process is preferably carried out in the following manner, viz :by first producing in a crucible the above-mentioned fused mass and then connecting the crucible or atleast the bottom of the crucible as an anode, while one or more cathodes, if necessary, cooled, are introduced from above into the fused mass. The metal to be alloyed, which is used advantageously in finely divided-form, such as a powder, chips or the like, and approximately in the quantit suited for the desired beryllium content 0 the alloy, is introduced at definite intervals of time into the fused mass during electrolysis. The highest permissible limit for the quantity of the alloy metal to be added to the fused mass varies according to the specific gravity of the alloy produced. As soon as this would become greater than that of the electrolyte the separation would in practice be made much more difficult as the regulus formed at the cathode would-dissolve therefrom. For copper the conditions are, for example,-"such that a beryllium alloy up to can be produced without special difliculties.

The metal to be alloyed with beryllium,

when introduced into the fused mass sinks to the bottom in come uence of its greater specific gravity and is t en anodically polarized and dissolved under the action of the electric current. In this way there is formed the fluoride of the metal in question which is otherwise very difficult to obtain and from this, the metal is separated, together with the beryllium, which is also present as a fluoride in the fused. mass, as a beryllium alloy.

The new process is also particularly suitable for obtaining'preliminary alloys with high beryllium content which can be further worked with beryllium alloys of lower percentage content by a small quantity thereof being; added to a fused mass of the metal to be alloyed. i

This use of the new process has important practical advantages as compared with the customary use of pure beryllium obtained by fused liquid electrolysis, as the starting mate- In particular by the formation of the alloy of beryllium according to the new process, a

rial for the production of beryllium alloys.

it the production of finer andsmoother reguli. In consequence of the reduction of the melting point the operation can be conducted at lower temperatures than with the separation of beryllium alone, so that there is a notice able saving of energy and furthermorethe losses due to the volatilization of the beryllium are considerably reduced.

Examples of carrying out the process A (1) To a fused mass consisting of beryllium-fluoride and alkaline earth fluorides and suit-able for the separation per hour of 200 g. of pure beryllium, 10 g. of copper in the form of chips or powder were added every fifteen minutes. An approximately 15% copperberyllium alloy was obtained from this fused mass by subjecting it to electrolysis.

(2) To a fused mass yielding 150 g. of pure beryllium per 'hour and containing the same constituents as before, 20 g. of nickel were added every fifteen minutes, and a 35% nickel-beryllium alloy was obtained by elecmaintained above that of the resulting beryllium alloy. I

7. A process according to claim 1, in which the temperature of the fused mass is maintained, during electrol sis, below the melting point of the metal to be alloyed with beryl- 8. A process for the productionof be 1- lium alloys comprising melting in a cruci le of electrically conducting material a. mixture of fluorides of beryllium and one or more metals of the alkaline earths, connecting the crucible to the positive terminal of asource of eurrent and a metallic body dipping into the fused mass to the negative terminal of such source, adding to the same from time to time a. predeterminedquantity of finely divided particles of a metal of a' greater spe cific-gravity than the fused mass, and mamtaining the fused mass during electrolysis at a temperature below the melting point of the added metal.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature- FHELLMUT' F SCHER.

nickel-beryllium alloys may be given, which can be effected by the simultaneous use of the Examples 1 and 2. j

I claim y 1. The process of producing beryllium alloys which consists in introduclng into a fused mass containing beryllium, a metal to be alloyed with beryllium, such metal being of a specific gravity greater than that of the fused mass, andsubJect' the mass to electrolysis. *2. The process d f producing beryllium al- 7 loys which consists in introducing into a fused mass containing beryllium, a metal to be alloyed with beryllium, such metal being of a specific gravity greater than that of the fused inass, and having a melting point higher than the temperature of the fused mass, and subjecting the mass to electrolysis.

3. A process. according to claim 1, in which the metal to be alloyedwith beryllium is introduced gradually in comminuted solid A form. 4. A process according to claim 1, in which the fused mass contains halides of beryllium and of a metal of the alkaline earths.

5. A process according to claim 1, in which the fused mass contains be llium fluoride and'a fluoride of a metal of the alkaline earths.- w

6. Aprocess acoordin .to claim 1 in which the specific gravity 0 the mass is 

